


Back To Black And White

by suolucidity



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, I MIGHT ADD SMUT, M/M, Slow Burn, alternate universe - no negan, daryl is angery, hey how about i just make negan not exist, if i can fucking manage that me n my thirsty ass, jesus is overly nice and interested in daryl, probably not lmao, tsundre darl for like 3 years, yeah sure negan isnt even relevant here bye
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-12
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-08 02:06:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6834694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/suolucidity/pseuds/suolucidity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is the AU where you see only black and white until you meet your soulmate. I'm always a slut for soulmate AUs<br/>(☞ ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )☞</p>
            </blockquote>





	Back To Black And White

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's finally writing again? It's me bc I'm bored and school is ending soon and I kinda want something to write and I'm hoping this will legitimately be a chapter fic with some sort of a schedule, but that will ultimately depend on if my motivation will come out of hibernation for at least five minutes :') also i hope u know gotdam well I will only make Daryl talk southern and I will nOT TYPE THE WHOLE POV IN BROKEN SOUTHERN SLANG Y A L L. also dont expect daryl to really call paul his actual name for a while lmao. This will not follow canon 100% because my lazy ass don't care. Also I'm gonna skip the long ass fight between them to get to the good shit™. Stg just this first chapter has taken over a week I'm the worst forget that schedule for now b o i s. No beta yet so any mistakes are my own and the result of sleep deprivation and general laziness.

# •Chapter One•

Daryl's POV

I'd always been told I'd see the world as monochromatic until the day I died because, according to Merle and my Paw, Nobody could ever love such an ugly son'ova'bitch like me, and Why in Sam hell would you even need a soulmate? Love is worthless. The day Lori died and Rick had a breakdown screamin' his head off over the world losing color, I started agreeing that all love does is hurt you and makes you too vulnerable for this world.

Word around Alexandria, both Michonne and Rick have started seein' the colors again. Good for them, I guess. It's just never been in my immediate interests. I did try once though, back in high school. Merle ended up wooing her from me and bangin' her the same night she turned me down to prom. I ended up sneaking his whiskey stash in revenge. He of course found out and beat me up so bad I had to run into the woods to hide from him. Forget my rambling but since then, I just assumed love and dating and all that bullshit would just never be worth shit. Torn from my thoughts Rick knocked on the stair railing I was leaning on. "You still up for that run today? Got a few gas stations we could hit up."

I grunted in reply and made my way towards the vehicle he had out for us.  
\---  
Somehow along the way we managed to find untouched food truck. There's boxes upon boxes still wrapped in plastic. Rick said we could send others out to retrieve the car so we could take this truck and head back around to Alexandria. Along the other road we stopped by a gas station to pick up a special request.

It took a while but eventually we got the vending machine down on the ground, but right as Rick was surveying it some random prick in a trench coat ran into him and stumbled away from impact. Rick and I had our pistols out faster than a blink. He spoke with a breathy, surprised voice, his hands raised to about his elbows.

"Hi."

"Back up, now!" I gestured with my pistol at his arms.

"Keep 'em up." Rick inched towards him.

Taking this moment of a standstill, I took a once-over of this guy. Long grey hair, grey clothes, clunky boots, shitty smirk, eyebrows raised, colored eyes. Wait, what the fuck did I just say? Why the fuck are his eyes not monochromatic? I glanced back at Rick and sure enough his eyes were still the usual light grey. Now, back to trench coat. His eyes were definitely not on the black-white scale at all. Apparently he saw something too because he hadn't stopped staring at me since Rick pushed him, but I'm not gonna fall for that bullshit. "So," he spoke again, "are you gonna shoot me or just stand there trying to look intimidating." I snorted and Rick moved a step closer, making the guy put his hands up in almost mock surrender. "I'm sorry for running into you. Have about a pack of around a dozen undead after me. I'm saying you have about 10 or 11 minutes, so I'm gonna get going-"

"I'm Rick. This is Daryl. What's your name?" Rick drawled as he lowered his gun.

"The name's Paul Rovia, but my friends used to call me Jesus. Your pick." He put his arms out in a holy-like gesture that made me snort. I could tell Rick was holding back a chuckle or a smirk. We stood and looked at each other for a few seconds, before I hesitantly lowered mine as well. 

"Are you on your own?" I could tell Rick was thinking, and I did not like where said thinking was going to probably lead.

"No, but it's still best not to try anything." "Jesus" replied with a passive-aggressive tone.

I was quick to fire back. "It's best not to make threats you can't keep either."

"Exactly." He jogged off before we could ask anything else, but of course Rick tried to call after him. I put my hand up to signal him to shut up.

"What the hell was that?" I turned to look at him.

"His beard was clean, freshly trimmed. There's something else going on there."

"He didn't have a gun either."

"We could track him, see if he is truly alone and maybe take him in." I shook my head at that.

"Nah, the guy calls himself Jesus."

Our debate was interrupted by the sound of gunshots behind the store. 

Rick and I moved around the side of the building with our guns ready and waited before Rick signaled me to look at the smoking barrel in front of us. That asshole planted firecrackers to distract us. We both went running as we heard the sound of a truck starting and the prick himself yelling a quick "Sorry!" as he peeled out onto the road, the vending machine clanking behind still attached to the chain. Rick cursed and locked his hands behind his head. 

\---

So, interesting day today. We found Paul and the truck stopped a few miles away from the gas station and ambushed him. When we finally got that slippery bastard on the ground and our guns were on him, he wouldn't stop staring at me with those not-grey eyes that made my mind race and my adrenaline rush. Shut up. Something must've been in those sodas I drank. Everything is grey as usual and I'm just seeing things. There ain't no possible way that things would be different, especially with some random hippy fuck who thinks trench coats are still cool and calls himself "Jesus". 

I tied him up making sure the knots were rough and tight before shaking up a can of soda and throwing it on the road by him. Rick started the truck as we sat there a bit as I gave the middle finger out the rear-view mirror. "So long, ya' prick!"

Rick rolled his eyes as we started making our way back to Alexandria. The ride back was full of shitty songs I didn't know and candy bars. 

"Hey look, a barn." Rick pointed with his bar and turned into the field.

It wasn't until we got into the clearing did we hear a strange noise on the roof. I turned the radio off and listened closer. "Rick, I think that som'bitch is on the roof."

"Hold on." Rick slammed on the breaks and sure as hell the prick flies off and onto the field in front of us. He seems to stand there in shock before taking off running. My immediate reaction is to jump out of my door and chase after him. We end up going on this wild goose chase like idiots before all hell breaks loose. He somehow got into the truck, stole my gun, shot a walker behind me, I punched him in the face which sent him back onto the front seat, he hit the release on the breaks, which made me drag him out of the moving truck, got knocked out by the door, and the truck ended up slowly sinking into the lake. Fuck. Rick jogged over and watched the truck sink with me.

"You alright?" He sounded a little out of breath.

"Yeah. Let's just check them cars and get the hell out of here." I replied as I turned to go to the cars.

"What about the guy?" Oh god.

"What about him?"

"Well, he helped you. Saved your life kinda."

"Maybe."

"Did he even pull a weapon on you?" God damn it Rick.

"Fine. Let's tie him up in a tree." I moved towards the mentioned prick.

"Nah, we gotta take him back. He did kinda save your life back there." he grumbled back.

"God damn it. Fine. Just grab his legs, we'll load him in the truck."

\---

It was already sunset by the time we checked all the cars and got dickhead in the truck, and it was night by the time we were almost to Alexandria. I was looking out the window before my eyes flickered over to the front mirror where Rick's eyes met mine. His were full of mischief as he purposely swerved the truck enough to make Jesus fall over and onto my shoulder. I rolled my eyes and shoved him back towards the back door before glaring at rick through the mirror. I heard him chuckle as we pulled up to the gates of Alexandria. 

We carried the asshole to Denise just in case he had any scrapes or bumps from the fight. She said he had a bit of a concussion but otherwise would be fine. I told Rick he could go home and I'd watch him in the jail cellar. He waved as he dismissed himself to his house. Denise was about to settle for the night so I had to carry him over myself. 

Somehow still asleep, I carried him with one arm under his legs and the other under his shoulders over to the cellar. I had a little trouble getting the door open, but I got it. I knelt down to the ratty mattress and set him down, grunting and shaking my arms out. Something glinted in the moonlight and I turned to it. Rick had left a glass of water plus a note of where he was and why. I stepped back and got another better look at him. His hat was now off, making his long hair flow around the mattress. His face was relaxed and lips slightly parted, tiny breaths making his chest rise and fall. Rick was right, both his beard and hair didn't look a tinge dirty. Wait, why am I observing him so much? This prick sank the best thing we've seen in weeks and I'm standing here practically checking him out? I pressed the heels of my palms into my eyes and sauntered over to the stool in the corner, dragging it closer to the mattress and hopping onto it. My eyes betrayed me as they followed the perfect stream of moonlight catching his face and stayed there. I blamed my lack of sleep over the past few days, easily detected by my drooping, sunken in eyes. I blinked slowly, still looking over him. My hand was lazily rested against the gun holder on my belt.

I rested my eyes a bit, assuring myself that I surely wouldn't fall asleep. I was just about to stretch before I heard movement from the floor I pulled out my pistol. "Don't move a god damn muscle." 

He turned his head towards me and I immediately noticed once more, that his eyes were certainly a different color; much less any color. They were wide and round, full of confusion. He groaned as he tried to sit up before giving up and laying back down on his back. "Where am I?" His voice was quiet and rough with sleep.

"Don't worry about it. If you would pay attention, there's a note right by you that explains everythin'." I grumbled with my gun still lazily trained on him, and his damn eyes still piercing mine.

"Oh, sorry." Finally looking away from me, he picked up the paper and read it. He rubbed his eyes with his gloved hands and looked over at me again. "You look tired, why don't you sleep?" Are you fuckin' kidding me?

"I'm supposed to be watching you, why would I sleep and let you pro'ly kill me in my sleep or fuck somethin' up?" I squinted at him a bit. He shrugged.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure everyone here has trigger-happy tendencies, so I don't think I'd get far without an ass full of lead. Also, why would I want to kill someone who I could have killed earlier with that walker? And who also didn't leave me back there to die. And who's also probably my s-" He cut himself off suddenly, but I knew what he was going to say next. I would have had to beat him if he continued. The cell was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. The only sound I could hear was breathing and the occasional spring squeak in the mattress.

I wasn't meeting his eyes, but I knew he was looking at me and has been since he cut himself off. My eyes were becoming as heavy as lead and almost impossible to keep open, I was catching myself leaning to the point of almost falling off the stool. At some point he'd moved from sitting down to sitting on the mattress against the wall across from me. 

The last thing I remember before blacking out is falling not onto the cement floor, but into leather covered arms.

\----

**Author's Note:**

> No idea when the next chapter will be out bc I'm at the end of the school year crunch and my teachers like to just unload as many random assignments they can before school ends. If you enjoyed, please bookmark/give kudos my dudes


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